Lindsey Graham: Donald Trump Is a ‘Jackass,’ I’m ‘Really Pissed’ About His Comments

Monday, on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” while reacting to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s controversial comments on the militarily service of his longtime friend Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said of Trump “he’s a jackass.”
Graham said his first thought about Trump’s comments was “that he’s a jackass. That he’s bringing his name down, and he’s not helping the process. And he shouldn’t be commander-in-chief. If you want to be commander-in-chief of the armed forces, you need to understand that John McCain, and all like him, not just John, are truly American heroes. And that…when you put yourself in harm’s way, that makes you a hero. But you know what I think is — makes you the hero, when you’re the spouse raising kids when your loved one’s deployed. I’ve been in the military for 33 years. It truly is a team and family. So, what he said about John, I think, was offensive. He’s becoming a jackass, at a time when we need to have a serious debate about the future of the party and the country.”

He continued, “We’re on the verge of giving an Iranian Ayatollah who’s a radical jihadist a pathway to a nuclear bomb. The world is literally falling apart. We’re becoming Greece here at home. And all we are talking about is Donald Trump and everybody he insults. But, he’s crossed the line here. There may be some frustration with our border. I get that. That’s no justification.” Graham also predicted, “this is the beginning of the end of Donald Trump.”

He added, “I am really pissed. Because — come on, John and I have been buddies. Forget about John. What about Bud Day?” And that what McCain went through “matters a damn lot. It matters a lot that you would be tortured for 5 1/2 years trying to defend your nation. So, I’m confident the people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina will figure this out. And I’m really frankly tired of this. The world is falling apart. My party is trying to re-emerge as a viable national voice. I think we’re on the verge of a good comeback here. And every time I turn around, I’m being asked about Donald Trump saying one dumb thing after another, and I’m tired of it.”